The Rugby League International Federation will use the $5 million in profits generated by the World Cup to fund an expanded Test calendar.
And they’ve set their sights on matching the rise of rugby union’s showpiece event with the RLIF keen to cash in on the foundations set by this year’s World Cup, which will attract a sellout crowd of 52,000 to Saturday night’s final in Brisbane between Australia and New Zealand.
“If you just cast your mind back to when the rugby World Cup started … the semi-final was played in Sydney was played at Concord Oval in front of a crowd of 15,000 people,” RLIF chairman Colin Love said.
“It was a modest success.
“But in the 21 years (since) that event has now become a major international sporting event.
“I believe the product we’ve got in rugby league is as good as in any other code and there’s no reason why we can’t head in that direction hopefully in a much shorter period of time.”
Despite this being the 13th staging of the World Cup, the tournament is being viewed as a stepping stone to bigger things.
It has left the RLIF with a kitty in excess of $5 million – much of which has come from healthy television deals – which Love says will be pumped back into the game to assist with the development of the emerging nations.
The most obvious consequence is the transformation of the Tri-Nations into a four-nations concept, with the Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand to be joined by another country on a rotating basis.
France will take part and most likely host some games in the 2009 tournament to be staged in the northern hemisphere, at which time a Pacific Nations Cup will be contested with the winner to become the fourth team in the 2010 four-nations.
Love said the timing of the Pacific Nations Cup would enable NRL and Super League players to turn out for those countries competing in the competition.
The expanded international program is all about improving the standard of the lesser lights ahead of the 2013 World Cup, which will likely be staged in the UK, though Love said Australia would also bid to host the event.
“What I’m keen to do is make sure that the international game maximises the revenue that it can earn from this event,” Love said.
More than 220,000 fans – an average of over 14,000 per game – have attended the World Cup with television viewing audiences just topping nine million.
Gamebreakers to watch in Saturday’s rugby league World Cup final:
Australia
BILLY SLATER
World’s best player on current form. Slater has an uncanny ability to pop up in the right spots at the right time. The fullback uses acceleration and footwork to beat opposing defenders at will and create opportunities from nothing. Given space he will almost certainly make you pay. He’s scored seven tries from three games at the World Cup.JOHNATHAN THURSTON
The game’s best halfback since Andrew Johns retired. At his most dangerous when running the ball with his creativity and variety keeping defenders guessing. Has deceptive pace to get around defenders, sets up play and is always on hand to support his ball runners for second phase play. Possesses an accurate and long kicking game and is Australia’s No.1 goalkicking option.CAMERON SMITH
Reigning Golden Boot winner as world’s best player. Has set a new standard for hookers with his great work rate in defence matched by his enthusiasm and ball-playing ability out of dummy half. Has a thumping left foot kick and a rocket-like pass that gives Australia a third playmaking option in attack. Uses the space around the ruck brilliantly and always exploits sloppy marker defence. Another goalkicking option.New Zealand
BENJI MARSHALL
At his best Marshall can rival the likes of Slater and Thurston for danger and creativity. At his worst he can be questionable in defence. Thankfully for New Zealand he has shown more good than bad at the World Cup. His halves combination with Nathan Fien has finally provided direction and more importantly variety for the Kiwis. Marshall is Australia’s biggest threat with his elusive foot work, agility and speed.ISSAC LUKE
The smallest player on the field but potentially a match-winner. Will provide an immediate spark off the bench when he replaces hooker Thomas Leuluai at dummy half. At 174cm and just 80kg he is a real livewire who exploits any laziness in marker defence. For his size he is also one of the toughest tacklers going around. Tormented Australia in his Test debut earlier this year but was surprisingly left out of their World Cup loss four weeks ago.MANU VATUVEI
Appropriately nicknamed “The Beast”, Vatuvei is a menacing figure. Standing 189cm tall and weighing 112kg he is all muscle and gold teeth. Scored a World Cup record four tries against England two weeks ago. The biggest winger going around and the toughest to put down, always attracting multiple defenders. Had a brilliant 2008 NRL season but is dogged by perceptions from one horror game in 2007 where he struggled with the high ball.
Westy
Guest
Keeper11....Love is with the ARL ..not the NRL ..any informed person on this site will tell you they are not friends and very uncomfortable bedfellows..........the RLWC is the development tool of the ARL ..not News or NRL...the reality was NRL and NEWS LTD were unhappy in being rejected by the ARL who refused to sell their "internatinal "rights in one package to channel 9. The difference between the NRL and the ARL is the latter for better or worse spend their money on the game's development . This enabled them to sell their rights in separate media deals for over 20 million. They now have a cash reserve of 5 million which they will now spend on development. I know who FFA is where it comes from and football's struggle but you to must be accurate it is a major error to confuse ARL with News and NRL. The positive message was on the ARL's web site not any News LImited publication .....it was a message to their faithful................
keeper11
Roar Rookie
So colinv love and the rest of the usual NRL media sriptwriters and cheersquad rely only on positive stats and selective memory to 'prove' the success of RLWC..... specifically, .they quote the 15000 crowd from the 1987 rugby WC to show how far 'ahead' league is,.,... too bad their memory didn't go far back to just last week... and the embarrassing 15000 turnout in league heartland sydney who bothered to turnup for the for the semi final..... but...ofcourse....here in sydney......'the NRL/ media mates clubs ensureswe can only ever hear the same old mantra; 'league is always the winner'
Westy
Guest
But link that is the obvious point and it is all right. I talk in terms of team sports. Football is the world game..........surprisingly cricket is next......you see Footbal wins easily l both in nation states and population....cricket not in nation states but India's 1.1 billion and bangladesh's 130 million followed by Pakistan's 220 million give it a fair bit of bang on a population count ...the success of 20/20 cricket in China will be their big test. The team code that picks up maybe 20% of football's world market will still be quite successful. On such world terms second place is not to bad. Secondly we live in a society that values choice......if people wish to follow another sport that is their choice.........just because everyone else chooses something else does not invalidate their choice. I went to the RWC /the RLWC and to many Socceroos matches and Swans games . I enjoy the skill on show...it is much better than being forced into one only Football is and will be number one it is the race for second place in the long term that is interesting.
The Link
Guest
Ian, how did the RWC 07 measure up to the FIFA WC 06 in the UK? No contest I presume. Will that put the RWC in context? Rugby and League are nieche games in the UK compared to football, fight over the margins as you please.
oikee
Guest
All i can tell you is that free to air here in oz as you know have Aussie rules and NRL , no soccer is yet on free to air, SBS which is a world sporting channell does offer some of our local soccer comp. The lot are on Pay t/v. What is significant is the fact that this is the 1st time i can remember ever that a free to air channell has picked up a local comp from another country. So looking at it like this Super League must be doing something right for the game to be telecast on aussie T/V. I would say its the amount of Aussies in the comp at the moment, and kiwis. Either way, this is a massive step for league because all of oz will be watching these games. We dont get union on free to air, the only games are the AllBlacks Wallaby games and People are getting quite bored with these games, same ole same ole. No other Union games are shown, well not our local comp because people would not watch, the skill and speed is not there. I think most people would enjoy super league because the crowds are fantastic and the game is free flowing, plus we still get to see the bever stutting his stuff, gotta love the bever steffy.
Steffy
Guest
Ian, it's not that big a village but it has plenty of playing fields so various clubs from nearby villages play here. "I was brought up in Lancashire and played union at school and both codes co-existed with league being the professional option" Not an amateur option? Most of the rugby clubs around here are BARLA affiliated and are strictly amateur. "I have to be careful but IRB suggested that 1 billion people watched the enitire RWC on TV." They claim that the cumulative TV audience was 4.2 billion - which is very amusing.
Ian Noble
Guest
Steffy Must be a pretty large village to support 5 league clubs. I was brought up in Lancashire and played union at school and both codes co-existed with league being the professional option. At grassroots level more union was played and the union club scene in Lancashire and Yorkshire was vibrant. What are OZ friends have to appreciate is that union is thriving in the league heartlands of Lancashire and Yorkshire, with Lancashire and Yorkshire providing strong sides in the County Champoinship. I was interested to see this quote from timesonline. "Tournament director Colin Love curiously compared the current tournament, even though it is rugby league's 13th version, to the 1987 rugby union World Cup in the southern hemisphere - the other code's first such event. "The Rugby World Cup has developed over 21 years into a major sporting event. There's no reason we can't head in the same direction and achieve the same in a short space of time," Love said. "I want the rugby league World Cup to be a major international sporting occasion, which it will become." The following is some of the statistical evidence produced in support of the tournament's success: 6,800 people on official travel packages (most from Britain); 120,000 items of World Cup gear sold; 243,349 fans so far at an average of over 14,300 per game; 9 million TV viewers in Australia; a peak of 1.5 million for BBC highlights of England's semi-final; Sky peaked at 420,000 for the same match and has had a total audience of over 2 million so far; and the RLWC08 official website has had more than 1.2 million visits." i think these stats puts the entire RLWC in context, compared to RWC2007, there is no contest, average gates over 40000, 12 million watched England's semi final alone. I haven't the figure for the final but it was the largest FTA audience for sporting event for 2007 in the UK. I have to be careful but IRB suggested that 1 billion people watched the enitire RWC on TV. I suspect that in reality the RLWC has not exceeded expections indeed some are putting a brave face on a tournament that has been flop. Judging from press comment and TV pundits there are serious questions as to viability of the next RLWC in England and I am not surprised to see that Love is thinking of bidding for the next RLWC as he realises that the only place to hold the next RLWC will be in OZ. What I find so disappointing compared to when I was at RWC2003, the numbers from England alone was in excess of 30000, the stadia were full and the whole country embraced the tournament. I travelled from Perth to Sydney, Melbourne to Townsville, Woollagong to Brisbane and had a great time watching a number of games that did not always involve England.
Midfielder
Guest
Colin Why do so much right and then stuff up near the end ....... by saying this ....."But in the 21 years (since) that event has now become a major international sporting event"............ Without doubt the RLWC exceeded all expectations ............ but it did not become a "major international sporting event" .... overstating claims get peoples backs up who are not rusted on and turns them off .........sponsors hear this and say what type of loony is running the joint ......... Colin very close to perfect to date ......... just hose down the off the wall claims they bring discredit to what has been a remarkable achievement .....
Steffy
Guest
I don't know, I haven't counted them. My post was in reply to the poster who claimed wherever rugby and union exist outside PNG and Australia the fans choose union - which is clearly a nonsense.
swifty
Guest
Steffy, how many league clubs are there?
Steffy
Guest
Ian, I don't know how many players there are in either code throughout Yorkshire. I can only go on the area where I live - the big teams are all rugby - in my village there are 5 rugby clubs and no union clubs. My nearest union club runs a couple of open age union teams and a junior team - all the other teams at the club play rugby.
Ian Noble
Guest
Steffy Do you have any stats to support your claim? There is no contest on the professional front, as there is only one professional union club, but I supect if you take the whole of Yorkshire there are more players at grassroots level playing union than league. Yorkshire incidently won the Beaumont Cup this year, which is the English County Championship at Twickenham beating Devon in the final.
Steffy
Guest
oikee, I agree, there is no point in comparing the rugby world cup with the union world cup, the soccer world cup or any other world cup - why Colin Love feels the need to do so is best known to him. I have enjoyed watching it (other than the England performances of course)
paul
Guest
Dave, league is one of the 4 most popular sports in the Uk according to the Uk sporting body for funding purposes. Superleague regularly outrates the guiness premiership and crowds are bigger at domestic matches. Why do yuo rugger buggers persist in propagating lies and half truths. Ity is simply untrue. This 5 million will go some way to securung our future in the Pacific and also hopefully in Estern Europe where the game is coming along in leaps and bounds. League is more popular than rugger in Serbia, Lebanon and watch out biut we will be serious contenders in Wales in a few years - same level as NZ I would hope. If that can be reached and also hopefully consoilidate and push on i France then we can have a very vibrant international scene. The rugger buggers are nervous, your sport won't even exist below the pro level in Australia soon. Make the most of it.
oikee
Guest
Good one steffy, anyhow, even if we only hold the League version of the world cup in OZ who cares, the teams keep improving and we see good rugby being played by the Smaller nations and of course the best nations. I dont give a rats how much any other sport makes, as long as league makes a profit it dont really matter. Football makes a billion, big deal.
Steffy
Guest
"In every country except Papa New Guinea and Australia where fans have a choice between the two sports, they chose rugby." Where I live, Yorkshire in England, rugby is much more popular than union.
Sol
Guest
Dave - so what? Are you mounting an argument as to why the code should stop aspiring to improve its lot? What happens in other sports is irrelevant. Rugby league is on its own path and how its international game compares as a success to other sports matters nothing.
The Link
Guest
Dave re point 4, what countries in the world call Rugby its national sport? New Zealand, maybe Wales and a few Pacific Islands? Hardly the honour roll. No sport in the world can claim to be an international sport like football. Everything else is fighting for the margins. Rugby has a niche international footprint. League is after its own piece, its not pretending to be anything its not.
Dave
Guest
Colin Love is very fond of reminding us that only 15,000 showed up to Conchord Oval in the semi final of rugby's first world cup in 1987. He asserts that the rugby world cup is now a decent tournament and "there’s no reason why we (internationa league) can’t head in that direction hopefully in a much shorter period of time.” Actually there are a few good reasons. 1. League's version of the world cup has been going since the 1950s...still waiting for the world to take notice. 2. Rugby already had an international presence before 1987. The world cup simply focussed that attention. 3. While it's admirable to put $5 million into the development of league in countries other than Australia, the reality is that it will take a hell of a lot more money and time to make any difference. 4. Papa New Guinea is the only country in the world that calls league its national sport. Australia is the only other country that can call it a major sport. Talk about your marketing mission impossibles. 5. Internation league suffers from the very existence of rugby. In every country except Papa New Guinea and Australia where fans have a choice between the two sports, they chose rugby.
oikee
Guest
Change the name to the Australia Cup Challenge and off we go. :)